Thai chicken stuffed bell peppers

Well, in the dark and cold of winter I crave brightness in my food, when I am not eating my way through stews, soups, beans and well, the comfortable comfort of root vegetables.

Make this and you will say “Thai chicken stuffed bell peppers called and they want their top billing for brightening up your day in this dreary winter” ! The chicken stuffing of this dish is basically my chicken wrap stuffing sans carrots, but the sauce you add at the end adds some real decadence. You could adjust this recipe to be more Keto friendly by adjusting and not adding as much honey or Thai sweet chili sauce, or you could make as is and savor the perfect marriage of sweet and savory. I know some people are sensitive to bell peppers because of heartburn but I have not ever had heartburn or acid reflux except when I have had a very strong antibiotic (so twice, in my whole life) so I eat my peppers with relish and a spirit of righteous indignation.

This year my garden stubbornly refused to produce vegetables and while I have my theories about some mysteriously missing tomato blossoms, the end result was not having the satisfaction of cooking as much from my garden as I normally do. Sad face. In a year which seemed to bring so much sadness, it seemed like such a disappointment. Bell Peppers have always called my name and in times which were not so lean, I happily made my way through sliced crudite without a though to budget. Today I am thinking about my budget like many people and this recipe seemed all the more special when it was such a success.

Ingredients

Chicken filling

• lb of ground chicken

• medium onion (or so) diced

• ground ginger

• tbls of diced cilantro

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, diced

• 2 tbls of soy sauce

• tsp of ground garlic powder

• tsp of teriyaki sauce

• 2 tbls of Thai sweet chili sauce

• cilantro

2 - 3 medium bell peppers, cored and deseeded

Sauce

• 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil (I used olive oil because I don’t have sesame oil)

• 1/4 cup honey

• 2 tbsp Sriracha

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar

Plan of Attack

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Prepare the chicken filling: Cook the onion in your skillet and once aromatic, add the garlic and cook on medium low until aromatic. Mix the chicken seasoning mixture. Add the ground chicken to your pan, adding a little bit more oil if necessary and cook until it is not pink. Add the liquid and then cook until integrated, adding chopped cilantro a minute before removing from heat.

I adjusted from the guide recipe and filled these peppers as I had stuffed peppers before by filling the whole pepper and cutting little pieces off the bottoms so they stand up straight. Coat the papers in oil, salt and garlic powder. Put the peppers in the oven and cook for 18 -22 minutes.

While the peppers are cooking, make the sauce. Add the sauce ingredients to your saucepan and cook until it is syrupy and coats a spoon inserted in the mixture, Turn off the heat and set aside until your peppers are done cooking. Remove the peppers from the oven and generously drizzle the sauce over the chicken mixture of the peppers. Put them back in your oven for 5-6 more minutes. Serve hot and a smile which, in January, can only mean you’re remembering good summers.

Serving Suggestion: Garnish with cilantro (or green onions)